There are at least two somewhat different reasons for providing a shield between a foot or an arm of the human that should be shielded from direct contact with the livestock. In one instance, boots or shoes used in walking around the livestock shelters are apt to pick-up bits of manure. If the manure contains any contagion, carrying such contagion to another shelter may infect an entirely new herd with the same infectious material. Therefore, it is highly desirable that foot coverings be isolated in the first shelter or discarded so as to prevent spread of infection to another shelter.
In a second instance, protection of an individual animal or of the person attending that animal may be desired. For example, cows giving birth to a calf frequently struggle more than is desirable in the birth process. In such instances, it may be desirable for someone--frequently a veterinarian--to physically reach up the birth canal to grasp the legs of the calf and to assist the process by pulling on the calf to assist its movement down the canal. In this process, it is desirable to maintain, so far as possible, an antiseptic barrier between the arm of the person and the interior membranes of the birth canal. Again, a disposable shield provides such a barrier.
Barriers of this type have long been used. Usually, the form is a thin, flexible and impervious material, often plastic, which is formed into a loose fitting boot or a glove having a long gauntlet. These work reasonably well, but are far too often subject to falling or sliding off the foot or arm of the wearer. Some more recent developed garments, particularly boots, use a tear strip on the open end which can be torn most of the way across the top and then used to form ribbon-like ties which are tied around the upper part of the boot on the leg of the wearer. Such ties, if fastened too tightly, or if strained by any outside forces, frequently cause a tearing of the adjacent material, and therefore a loss of desirable protection. This present invention provides a self-contained fastener to fasten the cover in place on either the arm or leg of the wearer making this fastener a relatively tighter closure to prevent external material from entering the interior of the protection device, and providing added convenience in the use of the device.